Month: Jan 2020

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost – The Road Not Taken.

Painting – Gustave Camille Gaston Cariot

Reference: FB page ‘Ravenous Butterflies’.

For photographer Alison Pollack, strolling through the forest is more than a relaxing pastime. Thanks to her fascination with fungi and Myxomycetes, it’s become her open-air photography studio as she cranes her neck to find her next miniature subject. Through focus stacking and macro photography, Pollack captures artistic images of her subjects—which often measure just 1 or 2 millimeters tall. The results are breathtaking photographs that explore the world of mushrooms and slime molds that are rarely seen.

Drawn to the diversity of mushrooms and myxomycetes, Pollack spends time in the forest searching for new species to capture. As she walks slowly, Pollack keeps an eye out for pops of color. Once she spots her desired subject, she uses a magnifying glass to take a closer look and then gets to work.

“The smaller the subjects are, the more appealing they are to me, and the more difficult they are to photograph,” Pollack tells My Modern Met. “For the really tiny ones, 1 to 2 millimeters tall and even smaller, I use an extreme macro lens, which has five times more magnification than a standard macro lens. This lens is challenging to use, but with practice and patience one can get highly detailed photos that never cease to fascinate.”

To work through this type of extreme macro photography, Pollack takes a series of photographs from different angles and then uses software to put together a crisp, detailed image by stacking different images. At times, this can require anywhere from 100 to 300 photographs, but the end result is well worth it. In Pollack’s photographs, these miniature treasures look like giants of the forest. With such rich detail, viewers are able to take in the incredible color and texture of organisms they may not have known existed.

In fact, for Pollack part of the satisfaction that she takes in her work is her ability to expose the magic of the forest to others. “I want people to see how amazing and beautiful these tiny organisms are! Many people have never heard of Myxomycetes, and also do not know that there are so many beautiful tiny fungi. My goal is to photograph them to show people the detailed beauty right at their feet as they walk in the forest.”

Pollack continues to push herself technically and creatively. She has even begun traveling to explore different environments like Alaska and Colombia to document new species. By exploring the diversity of this largely unknown world, she’s helping educate others and encouraging them to take a deeper look at the world around them, as often the smallest beings possess the biggest personalities.

In terms of gear and technique, she uses a Sony a7R II with a Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens. From there, she’ll add a Raynox 250 super macro diopter “to get about 2.5x more magnification,” and places the whole setup on a sturdy tripod. For the tiniest subjects, anything that’s 1 millimeter or less, Pollack will use the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X ultra macro lens to reveal the detailed textures.

Once she has her subject lined up, she uses focus stacking in order to capture more than the most infinitesimal slice of focus. The stacks themselves vary in size depending on which of the two setups she’s using.

“With the Sony macro lens and the Raynox diopter, my stacks are typically 10-50 images, all shot in the field manually,” explains Pollack. “With the ultra macro lens, especially at 4 or 5x, the depth of field is only about 0.05 millimeters, and I use an automated rail (the Cognysis Stackshot) to take 100-300 images for stacking, in my home studio.”

Finally, she’ll pull the stack into either Helicon Focus or Zerene Stacker software to create the initial composite, then Lightroom for minor post-processing after that. Given enough light (she prefers natural light, but will use flash if need-be) and a sufficiently still day (she calls wind “the enemy” when focus stacking) the results … well … they speak for themselves:

Reference: https://mymodernmet.com/fungi-myxomycetes-photos-alison-pollack/

https://petapixel.com/2019/12/05/photographer-shoots-stunning-super-macro-photos-of-minuscule-mushrooms/

When Nature feels like painting…

Eucalyptus deglupta is commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus because of its unique way of shedding its bark. Once shed, the inner bark that is revealed is bright green, but eventually matures to blue, purple, orange, and eventually maroon. The rainbow eucalyptus does not shed its bark all at once, but in sections throughout the year, allowing for the amazing rainbow effect.

Also known as ‘Mindanao gum’, or ‘rainbow gum’, this beautiful tree is native to the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is the only Eucalyptus species that usually lives in rain forest – with a natural range extending into the northern hemisphere – and one of only four Eucalyptus species out of more than 700 that do not occur in Australia.

Sheer beauty.

Reference ~ https://earthlymission.com/rainbow-eucalyptus-the-most-beautiful-tree-in-the-world/

Photographer Mikko Lagerstedt has once again captured the quiet beauty of his native Finland with a recent series centered around trees. Ethereal skies, virgin snow, and seemingly isolated pockets of nature serve as backdrops to twisted trunks and outstretched branches. Taken from Lapland to Southern Finland, the images speak to qualities of beauty and of resilience.

Lagerstedt was first inspired to capture these dreamy landscapes when he witnessed one first-hand while en route to a relative’s cabin. His images often showcase nature with little to no sunlight which gives them a sense of calm and stillness. The t r e e s series is comprised of photographs taken between 2018 and 2019 and edited using Photoshop and Lightroom. “My goal is to convey the feeling I had when I was photographing the subjects…to appreciate the never-ending beauty of trees,” Lagerstedt tells Colossal. “In our lives, we rarely recognize them, yet trees surround us with their beauty. They tell us many stories about life and the struggle to survive in harsh conditions.”

To see more of his work, follow Lagerstedt on Instagram and check out his portfolio on Behance.

Reference: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/11/majestic-trees-photographed-by-mikko-lagerstedt/

Milan-based studio, Peter Pichler architecture, has unveiled images of their latest project designed for a tree-covered site close to the Austrian town of kitzbühel.

Kitzbühel is a ritzy ski resort with a medieval town center located between Salzburg and Innsbruck in the Austrian Alps. It is best known for the annual Hahnenkamm downhill ski race, which takes place in late January and is regarded as one of the toughest downhill races in the world.

Aptly titled ‘tree suites‘, the proposal is envisioned to form part of a new 7-star hotel development. The timber structures, which rise amid the forest, intend to connect guests with nature and provide a unique experience, similarly to the studio’s previous sustainable treehouse projects conceived for sites in italy and the US.

Elevated off the forest floor, guests access their suites via a glass elevator that arrives directly up to the room. Varying between 60m2 to 80m2, the luxury suites include a generous bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom boasts an unobstructed glazed façade that opens up to a balcony space, offering views out over the surrounding treetops and mountains and allowing guests to feel secluded in their very own slice of alpine nature. The larger units also comprise a private living room and a sauna in the bathroom.

When approaching the project, one of the design team’s main concepts was to create a place that bridges the divide between man and the natural environment. Additionally, the tree suites also make reference to local vernacular architecture. With this in mind, the structures employ the use of local materials and a typical gable roof pitch, evoking the poetic image of a house and in short, creating a ‘spatial experience within nature.’

In their contemporary interpretation of vernacular buildings, the architects have applied a wooden exoskeleton that wraps around the entire building. This structure is composed of two layers: a diagrid structure and a second layer made of intersecting timber sticks to filter the light and afford privacy. during the day, light will filter through the external skin to create a playful effect of light and shadows. At night, the structures will glow in the forest. the application of wood works twofold, firstly to reflect a local and sustainable material and secondly, to provide a warm, cozy feeling within the spaces.

A growing number of hotels and hospitality companies are offering nature-immersive experiences, according to the Global Wellness Institute. The institute’s 2019 global wellness report cites “prescribing nature” as a travel trend, fueled in large part by the the fact that more people are living in cities. “As experience in nature becomes another new luxury, hotels and spas are tapping into what makes their destination unique – and offering unique programming,” they wrote.

Take Manshausen Island Resort in Norway, where a recent expansion earned it a place on Sleeper magazine’s best new luxury hotels in the world list. Its seven sea-facing cabins each tout “a unique position and connection with nature.”

Finnish Lapland native Riitta Raekallio-Wunderink recently spoke with Business Insider about her reasons for creating an “Arctic cocooning” hammock wellness experience in her family forest. “For us, it is all about sharing that personal nature experience with people, reminding them of a connection that they maybe didn’t even know existed,” she said.

Reference: Courtesy Peter Pichler Architecture

Austrian National Tourist Office; CNN Travel; Kitzbühel Tourism

“Do you like yew trees?

I know many people who do, whilst others find them sinister and difficult to connect with.

It took me more than two months to bring this tree wisdom banner into existence and I nearly abandoned the project half-way through.

I am glad I persisted and I am really happy with the result! 🌿✨

Here are some of the lessons and insights the yew tree gave me:

After creating banners for the oak, birch, beech and rowan tree, the yew revealed its distinctly different quality to me. It’s not solar like the oak. The yew is like Saturn – the time-keeper – and can be a challenging teacher.

When visiting some of the oldest yew trees in Devon, I noticed a deep silence under the yews canopy that reaches way beyond the importance we attribute to our relatively short human lifespan.

What is time for a yew tree?

He or she can get between 2000 and 5000 years old, regenerates herself easily and expands by growing new roots from branches that touch the ground. The life cycle of a yew is a symbol for longevity and seems to effortlessly combine ancientness and youthfulness.

Often surrounded by gravestones, these guardian trees, anchor a quality of timelessness, that is both now and eternal. I experienced this meditative state of awareness, as if the tree was meditating me.

Working creatively in alignment with this timeless energy, presented me with challenges. When I wanted to work on this picture, I got stuck a few times, not knowing which way to go, to reach the balance and depth of composition I was looking for.

The yew tree just smiled and said to me:

“No-one is waiting for you.”

“You experience time and there is no time.”

Every time I let go of the desire to finish this project, a new wave of inspiration arrived shortly afterwards.

“You can’t push a river!”

“Everything has it’s own timing”.

This was both comforting and frustrating, but ultimately helping me deconditioning the societal imprint of quicker, better, faster, … time is money! Madness.

Now that I see the finished yew tree banner, I reflect on these powerful lessons and feel that these valuable teachings and yew tree medicine have been woven into the picture, to reach others, who are open to learn from the yew tree.

My tree wisdom art is made to bring the tree energies into peoples homes and sacred spaces.

For those of you interested working with the yew tree: I sell organic cotton banners in different sizes.

Feel free to share. Lots of love, Yannick”

Welcome

After realizing that an entire rainforest previously housing 500+ endangered species had been cut down, resulting in all the wildlife vanishing from the area, a couple decided to replant it.

Well known Brazilian photographer, Sebastião Salgado had returned to Minas Gerais in 1994, expecting to be welcomed back to the paradise he remembered from his childhood, but instead he was met with a horrifying sight – the land he once knew was now a barren wasteland with roughly 0.5% of the land remaining covered in trees.

The Guardian reported that Salgado had met with a group of religious leaders to discuss climate change after returning from an already traumatic event, experiencing the genocide in Rwanda first hand and that he’d come home to discover the ‘remains’ of the forest.

He told them:

The land was as sick as I was – everything was destroyed. Only about 0.5 per cent of the land was covered in trees.

Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest. And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn – this was the most important moment.

Salgado and his family since set up the Instituto Terra and have successfully planted more than two million trees, offering a home to the 500+ endangered species which once roamed freely in the area, bringing life to the forest.

With the first seed being planted in December of 1999, the coupled employed 24 workers at the start and have over the years been joined by numerous volunteers, all aiming to achieve even more through the project. Working tirelessly day and night, they uprooted the invasive weeds and planted the future seedlings who would eventually go on to recreate a magnificent forest.

With time, tropical trees native to the region flourished, with 100 000 more saplings being donated, giving rise to the most beautiful forest, resulting in increased rainfall in the area, cooler weather and a drastic desirable change in climate overall.The photographer says he has found the answer to climate change, including the bonus of creative inspiration.

Salgado explained:

Perhaps we have a solution. There is a single being which can transform CO2 to oxygen, which is the tree. We need to replant the forest.

You need forest with native trees, and you need to gather the seeds in the same region you plant them or the serpents and the termites won’t come. And if you plant forests that don’t belong, the animals don’t come there and the forest is silent.

We need to listen to the words of the people on the land. Nature is the earth and it is other beings and if we don’t have some kind of spiritual return to our planet, I fear that we will be compromised.

With 293 species of trees now inhabiting the 1,500 acre forest, it has been rejuvenated beyond expectations and I’d say that’s hats off to Salgado and his wife, all the staff and volunteers for their efforts in this incredible project!

https://youtu.be/p0Aw3JEtQoU

https://educateinspirechange.org/nature/couple-replant-entire-forest-to-give-homes-to-500-endangered-species/

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Photo by Guardian of the Wood, fb page.